When we see records being broken and unprecedented events such as this, the onus is on those who deny any connection to climate change to prove their case. Global warming has fundamentally altered the background conditions that give rise to all weather. In the strictest sense, all weather is now connected to climate change. Kevin Trenberth

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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Please sign this. We must prevent Shell Oil from drilling in the Arctic with no spill cleanup plan, no cleanup equipment, and no cleanup technology for the Arctic

Dear Tenney,

The disastrous Deepwater Horizon blowout last year in the Gulf should have led to wholesale changes in oil spill cleanup and safety practices. Unfortunately, Shell Oil is now pushing hard to drill in the Arctic — where extreme conditions pose even greater obstacles for oil spill response — using the same inadequate cleanup plans that failed us so badly last time.

Last year's BP oil disaster should have been a wake-up call to the U.S., but Big Oil has been hard at work trying to sweep it under the rug. While we are still learning about the true ecological and economic cost of this environmental catastrophe, Shell Oil is now pushing hard for access to the Arctic Ocean.

Don't let Shell conduct dangerous and dirty drilling in America’s Arctic Ocean next summer. Shell Oil keeps putting forth aggressive drilling plans, and their next proposal could have Shell drilling before they can do it safely! Let’s put our coastal communities before profits. Tell Secretary Salazar to protect the Arctic!America's Arctic is our nation's final conservation frontier. The coastal waters, rolling tundra, wild rivers, and precious wetlands, ponds, and deep lakes of the Arctic support a stunning array of wildlife, including the iconic polar bear.

Yet time and time again Shell's drilling plans do not contain adequate oil spill response technologies beyond a simple mop and bucket. Oil spills are inevitable with drilling, so when it comes to 24 hours of darkness, icebergs the size of buildings, hurricane-strength winds, and minus-40 temperatures, we need to know our wildlife and communities will be protected.